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If you’ve worked with a nonprofit board, you’ve heard some version of it. It makes sense. Board members have been taught that fundraising means give or get: sponsor a table, scan a list of names, ask friends for money.
That kind of fundraising is awkward and uncomfortable. So many board members pull back, and the work keeps falling to the leader and the same few people.
Before asking them to do more, help them see the work differently.
“How do we get people to give?”
“Who do we know who would love this?”
That shift opens up something people actually want to take part in: helping others discover a mission they care about and inviting them to become part of it. We already do this everywhere else. We recommend restaurants, books, and doctors to friends we think will love them. Sharing a cause we love can feel just as natural.
There are many ways a board member can contribute. The Board Experience helps each person discover the one that fits who they are.
Connect someone who would care to the mission.
Host a small gathering, a tour, or a conversation.
Tell your own story of why you serve.
Help thank the people who already give.
Make a meaningful invitation, with no pressure.
Contribute in another way that fits who you are.
Knowing what you could do and feeling ready to do it are different things. We figure out what fits each person, and then we practice it.
Short recordings and guided reflection help board members explore how they see fundraising and how generosity grows.
A preparation call gives each member space to talk about their experiences, their questions, and what might fit them.
Together, virtually or in person, board members practice real conversations, receive feedback, and identify the next step.
The nonprofit leader receives a written summary and debrief highlighting what emerged during the experience, where the board may benefit from additional support, and practical next steps to help members follow through.
Shared language for talking about giving, invitation, and partnership.
Greater clarity about how each person can contribute.
Practice talking about why the mission matters and inviting others to become part of it.
A realistic next step and a clearer sense of what they need to feel equipped.
There’s no shortage of board fundraising training. The Generosity Board Experience isn’t about a few techniques. We work with how people see the work, the language they use, and the conversations they actually have. And it’s one way into Inspire Generosity, a school for Generosity Leadership, where nonprofit leaders and board members learn to create the conditions for generosity to grow.
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Generosity is not scarce. It is obstructed. We teach leaders to recognize what gets in the way.
Curiosity, trust, and meaningful invitation, with people free to choose how they participate.
Self-paced learning and reflection, individual conversations, and live practice. Leaders receive feedback and apply what they learn to their own missions.
Guided by DREAMS® · Discover · Research · Engage · Activate · Multiply · Sustain
When you underwrite the Generosity Board Experience, you’re investing in the people behind the missions you support, and helping more people share the work of inspiring generosity.
Your invitation opens the door. Your underwriting makes participation possible.
Underwrite the experience for an organization you support.
Bring together board members from different organizations for a shared learning experience.
Introduce the experience to organizations across your portfolio.
“Every board member said yes to something. What was it?”
Joanna Hogan, Founder, Inspire Generosity™
Read: Before You Ask Your Board to Fundraise, Do This Instead →Nonprofit boards that want more of their members actually involved in inspiring generosity. Some are looking for a fresh approach, others want to build on what’s already working.
That’s one of the reasons we start with each person. Extending an invitation to give is one way to inspire generosity, but it isn’t the only way. Every board member discovers ways to participate, practices real conversations, and identifies a next step.
We start with the person, not the fundraising assignment. Through teaching and reflection, and one-on-one preparation conversations, board members discover how they might contribute. Then they practice real conversations, get feedback, and try again. Every member shares responsibility for inspiring generosity, but that doesn’t mean everybody has the same role.
The nonprofit leader receives a written summary and debrief highlighting what emerged during the experience, where the board may benefit from additional support, and practical next steps to help members follow through.
We believe so. Giving grows through relationships, and too often those relationships depend on just a few people. The Board Experience helps more board members discover meaningful ways to participate and practice doing it. When more people share the mission, build relationships, and invite others in, more generosity has room to grow. Generosity inspires generosity.
Whether you’d like to bring this to your own board or to organizations you support, tell us a little about what you have in mind. We’d love to hear from you.
